Generac works around the clock to meet winter demand

WHITEWATER (WITI) -- As the winter storm passes over the northeast, nearly 600,000 people are without power. For one company in Wisconsin, it means demand is high. The company Generac manufactures and distributes power generators. They're not normally open on Saturdays, but they were open this weekend.

"We are working to get product out to the affected people on the east coast as quickly as possible," said Art Aiello from Generac. "We have trucks coming in throughout the evening that will be loading up and they're going to be on their way to the east coast."

Generac has three shifts running this weekend. After Hurricane Sandy, the company made and distributed nearly 650,000 generators to the millions who were affected.

"In a storm situation like this portable generators tend to be what most people are interested in," said Aiello. "We're expecting to see a similar effect, we saw it with Sandy, we could expect to see that again with this snow storm and certainly it means we'll be continuing to try and meet that demand, certainly we're going to be paying very close attention to it, be working with all of our retailers and channel partners to make sure that we can meet the demand and get product in the hands of people who need it."

Whether that's hundreds or thousands is still up in the air, but nonetheless, they will be open on Sunday. The trucks that were loaded Saturday are driving direct to both the affected areas in the northeast and the various distribution centers out east. During Hurricane Sandy, Generac was operating 24 hours a day for weeks to keep up with the demand.